Now Sascoc eyes Rio 2016

Team South Africa arrive in Johannesburg today with six Olympic medals - half the 12 targeted by the South African Sport Confederation and Olympic Committee.

But Sascoc president Gideon Sam insists this was no failure.

"We have buried the ghost of Beijing," he said, referring to South Africa's grim harvest of a single silver in China four years ago.

"We have taken it forward from Beijing to London."

Already Sam said he wanted to loosen the stringent selection criteria for the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland. saying he wanted to take as big a team as possible. For the 2010 spectacle in New Delhi, India, only competitors ranked in the top five were considered.

"We should take the top 10. But they must not think this is a party. We will use the Commonwealth to decide who performs and deserves funding for the 2016 Olympics in Rio," Sam said.

Sam said he would make this suggestion at the Sascoc AGM this weekend.

"We must intensify efforts to support our top-ranked athletes. I'm thinking we should divide our federations into two tiers - the top tier for federations with athletes ranked high in the world, and the second tier for those below," Sam said.

"And the lower-ranked ones can use the Commonwealth Games as an opportunity to prove themselves."

Sam admitted he was likely to face criticism for the London 2012 performance.

"We promised 12, but we didn't deliver 12. I believe we left some medals out there. But is this the best South Africa can do? I believe there is room for improvement for Rio. But the big thing is we need to start now. If there are federations who think this job can be done better, then they must vote new people in."

The Sascoc elections will be held in November.

• Whatever one thinks of the administration, the team performed well. Six medals, with three golds, is the best performance since 1952.

Some critics may argue SA hasn't really improved since readmission in 1992, considering we won five medals (three gold) in 1996, five (0 gold) in 2000 and six (one gold) in 2004.

Two athletes won the golds in 1996, and the four swimmers took the single relay gold in 2004. But this year, two swimmers and the rowing foursome won the three golds. That means South Africa's base of world-beaters has grown, albeit slightly. With the right work in the next four years, South Africa has the talent to win 12 medals.

• Did you know that when Caster Semenya took silver on Saturday, she became the third South African to win an 800m medal, behind Hezekiel Sepeng (1996) and Mbulaeni Mulaudzi (2004)? All three won silver, and all three were beaten by Russians.

• In the post-isolation era, South Africa has now won 25 medals, with seven gold. Swimming has provided 11, athletics 10, rowing two, and canoeing and tennis one each.